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Discover Simple New Ways to Boost Your Everyday Mental Wellness

by Charley Sunday

Busy parents juggling work, caregiving, and the mental load often manage fine on the outside while quietly carrying ongoing mental health challenges underneath. The core tension is that everyday mental wellness gets treated like a luxury, even though stress shows up in ordinary moments, traffic, inboxes, bedtime routines, and chips away at emotional resilience over time. Mental wellness importance isn’t about fixing everything; it’s about staying steady enough to respond instead of react. With the right stress management strategies and emotional self-care that fit real schedules, regular days can start to feel more manageable.

Try 4 Safer Alternative Ways to Unwind Your Nervous System

When everyday stress stacks up, it helps to have a few gentle, low-risk ways to signal safety to your body.

  1. Breathwork: slow, steady breathing can help dial down your stress response.
  2. Progressive muscle relaxation: tense and release muscle groups to invite a calmer baseline.
  3. Ashwagandha: a commonly used herbal option some people add for stress support.
  4. THCa: if you’re exploring cannabinoid-based self-care, look for predictable, controlled dosing; a strong reference can help you understand THCa isolate.

Next, we’ll zoom out and look at why “different” tools can be exactly what makes your mental wellness plan stick.

Understanding Diverse Wellness Strategies

Diverse wellness strategies mean mixing familiar basics with a few nontraditional supports so you can meet stress from more than one angle. Mental health innovation helps explain why this works, because the intersection of mental health now includes creative tools, tech, and fresh routines, not just one-size advice.

This matters because “drink water and get more sleep” is helpful, but it can feel incomplete on hard weeks. A varied plan lets you build holistic emotional support that fits your real life, your energy, and your triggers.

Think of it like feeding a picky garden. One type of care rarely works for every plant, but small, different inputs add up to steady growth. A few simple experiments, like forest bathing or birdwatching, can help you find calmer, steadier days.

Pick 9 Offbeat Mood-Boosters You Can Actually Do This Week

When the usual “sleep, hydrate, exercise” advice isn’t touching your stress, it can help to borrow from a wider toolkit of wellness strategies. Here’s a menu of novel mental health activities, pick one or two and treat them like a low-stakes experiment.

  1. Try a 20-minute “micro” forest bathing walk: For forest bathing benefits without a weekend getaway, choose one short trail or tree-lined street and walk slowly for 20 minutes. The goal isn’t steps, it’s sensory input: name 5 shades of green, notice 3 textures, and take 10 long exhales. If you can, leave your phone in your pocket until the end and jot one line about what felt different afterward.
  2. Do birdwatching for relaxation, without becoming “a bird person”: Stand or sit in one spot for 10 minutes and look for movement, not perfect identification. Count how many distinct bird calls you hear, or track “one bird’s whole day” for a few minutes as it hops, pauses, and searches. This kind of gentle focus gives your brain a break from problem-solving while still keeping you engaged.
  3. Create a “tiny volunteering” habit: For volunteering’s mental health impact, go smaller than you think: 30 minutes once this week. Examples: write a thank-you note to a school staff member, help a neighbor carry groceries, or sign up for a single shift at a local pantry. Put it on your calendar like an appointment, doing it on purpose is what turns a good deed into a mood stabilizer.
  4. Borrow pet therapy advantages, even if you don’t own a pet: Offer to walk a friend’s dog, visit a shelter during open hours, or sit with a calm animal while you do a simple task like reading. The evidence behind canine-assisted therapy supports why this can feel regulating, your body often downshifts when you’re near a steady, responsive creature. Keep it short the first time (10–15 minutes) so it stays soothing, not overwhelming.
  5. Use art therapy techniques with a “no talent required” rule: Set a timer for 12 minutes and do one prompt: draw your stress as a weather report, collage “what I need more of,” or color with two repeating shapes. Don’t interpret it like homework; instead, circle one area that feels comforting or honest. This works best when you stop before you’re “done,” so your brain learns it’s a quick reset you can repeat.
  6. Practice tai chi mindfulness in a hallway: Pick 3 simple moves, slow weight shift, gentle arm sweep, soft knee bend, and repeat them for 5 minutes while breathing through your nose. Aim for “smooth and steady,” not “right and perfect.” Tai chi mindfulness can be especially helpful on days you feel wired but too tired for a workout.
  7. Do a 2-sense “sound bath” at home: Turn off background noise and open a window, or play a single steady sound (fan, shower, rain). Spend 3 minutes listening, then 2 minutes feeling one physical sensation (feet on the floor, hands on a mug). This is a fast way to widen your attention when you’re stuck in a tight loop of worry.
  8. Try a “temperature shift” reset: Run cool water over your wrists for 30–60 seconds, hold a cold drink, or step outside for two minutes if it’s chilly. Pair it with a slow exhale that’s longer than your inhale. It’s simple, but changing bodily sensation can interrupt spiraling thoughts long enough to choose your next step.
  9. Build a one-page “what drains me / what restores me” map: Divide a page into two columns and list five specific drains (meetings at 4 p.m., cluttered kitchen, group chats) and five realistic restorers (walking call, quiet car minute, stretching before bed). Then choose one drain to reduce by 10% this week and one restorer to increase by 10%. That small clarity can also help you spot whether your stress is more about habits, or about needing a bigger change in how you work and learn.

Use School as a Reset Button: One Clear Path to a New Career

If a few of those mood-boosters made you realize the real issue is your day-to-day work, school can be a surprisingly steady reset button. A career change often starts with naming what’s draining you in your current role, then choosing an educational path that helps you move toward work that fits you better. An online degree can make that shift more realistic because you can keep up with life responsibilities while you learn. If you’re curious about psychology-focused options for workplace-facing roles, a useful overview can help you see what credentials exist. By earning a degree in psychology, you can study the cognitive and affective processes that drive human behavior so you can support those in need of help.

Everyday Mental Wellness: Common Questions Answered

Q: What counts as emotional self-care if I don’t have time for big routines?
A: Emotional self-care includes small, repeatable choices that help you feel steadier, like naming your feelings, taking a two-minute breathing break, or sending one honest text. If you can notice your mood and respond with kindness instead of judgment, it counts.

Q: How do I try “unconventional” wellness ideas safely?
A: Start with low-risk experiments that are easy to stop, like a five-minute nature walk, a sensory reset (warm shower, calming scent), or a playful playlist. Track how you feel before and after for a week, and skip anything that spikes anxiety or pain.

Q: Why do tiny changes matter when my stress feels huge?
A: When stress is high, your brain often needs proof that relief is possible. Since 1 in 8 people face mental health challenges, small support can be a practical starting point, not a sign you are “doing it wrong.”

Q: Can mindset tools replace therapy or medication?
A: They can complement professional care, but they are not a replacement if symptoms are significant. Use them as skills practice while you also get the right level of support.

Q: When should I loop in a professional?
A: Reach out if you have thoughts of self-harm, panic that disrupts daily life, persistent low mood for weeks, or sleep and appetite changes that won’t settle. If coping efforts keep failing, a clinician can help you build a plan that fits your situation.

Understanding Personalized Wellness Selection

Personalized wellness selection is a simple way to choose supports that actually fit you. You match a wellness idea to your values, your real time limits, and your sensory preferences, then commit to a small trial instead of a full overhaul. Why it matters: when a practice fits your life, you are more likely to repeat it when stress hits. A short trial also helps you notice what calms you versus what drains you, without wasting energy on “shoulds.” For health safety, many people start by checking basics like an annual wellness exam if symptoms feel confusing.

Example: If quiet breathing feels irritating but movement feels settling, you might try a five-minute stretch after lunch for seven days. If you value connection, you might pair it with one supportive text, then track mood and sleep. If anything spikes pain or panic, you pause and choose a gentler option.

Choose One Small Ritual to Strengthen Everyday Mental Wellness

When life is full and emotions run high, mental wellness motivation can fade into “later,” and even good ideas feel like one more task. A steadier path is the personalized approach: choose what fits your values, time, and sensory needs, try it briefly, and adjust with supportive self-care encouragement. Over time, that kind of unique wellness exploration turns scattered effort into ongoing mental health practices you can actually keep. Small, repeatable choices build sustained emotional health. Pick one tiny ritual to try for the next few days and notice what shifts in your mood, patience, or energy. Those small signals add up to the resilience and steadiness that make everyday life feel more manageable.

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Easy Ways to Add Mindfulness to Your Daily Life and Reduce Stress

By Charley Sunday

Busy parents juggling work, family schedules, and a never-ending to-do list often want calmer days but don’t have extra time to “add one more thing.” The challenge is that stress shows up in the small moments, snapping at a kid, doom-scrolling at night, or carrying tension from one task to the next, when there’s no space to reset. A simple mindfulness practice fits into real life because it’s about attention, not perfection, and it can deliver steady daily mindfulness benefits like calmer reactions and more choice in tough moments. This beginner mindfulness guide offers mindfulness for general readers who want stress reduction techniques that feel doable.

What Mindfulness Really Means

Mindfulness is simple, but specific. It is moment-to-moment awareness of what’s happening right now in your mind, body, and surroundings, without judging it as “good” or “bad.” Think of it as noticing your experience, instead of running on autopilot.

This matters because stress often comes from getting pulled into worries, replaying a mistake, or bracing for the next task. Mindfulness helps you pause long enough to choose your response, which can support mental health over time. A review found mindfulness therapy showed positive effects on depression, anxiety, and stress.

Picture loading the dishwasher while your brain plans tomorrow’s chaos. Mindfulness is feeling the warm water, noticing tight shoulders, and taking one slow breath before continuing. The situation stays busy, but your nervous system gets a reset.

Gratitude journaling makes that pause easier by giving your attention a clear place to land.

Build a Gratitude Journal in 5 Minutes a Day

Once you know mindfulness is simply paying attention on purpose, gratitude becomes an easy place to practice.

Start a gratitude journal by jotting down the things you’re thankful for, especially the small, everyday joys you might otherwise skim past. This kind of gratitude is about noticing what’s good right now and letting those moments help you stay positive and open to what’s possible, so you can actually enjoy the present instead of rushing through it. Many people find that positive mindset habits feel more doable when they’re rooted in real, ordinary wins.

Next, you’ll build on that same awareness with simple mindfulness habits you can do anywhere.

Try 6 Everyday Mindfulness Habits You Can Do Anywhere

Mindfulness doesn’t have to be another big “project.” Think of it like your 5-minute gratitude journal, small, repeatable moments that help you notice what’s already happening, without needing perfect conditions.

  1. Do a 2-minute yoga mindfulness exercise (breath-led): Try three slow rounds of: inhale arms up, exhale fold, inhale halfway lift, exhale fold, then stand. Keep your attention on the feeling of breath moving your ribs instead of how the pose looks. If your mind wanders, gently label it “thinking,” then come back to the next inhale.
  2. Practice tai chi for mindfulness with one simple “flow”: Pick a tiny sequence you can repeat, shift weight left/right, slow arm circles, then a soft “push” forward and release. Move at about half your normal speed and aim for smooth transitions[ mindfulness is in noticing things like the shift of pressure in your feet. This is great while dinner cooks or during a quick break, and it’s naturally low-impact.
  3. Use breath focus meditation as a quick reset (with a count): Sit or stand and breathe in for a count of 4, out for a count of 6, for 10 cycles. You’re training your attention to stay with one steady anchor, and observing the breath can be surprisingly calming when you do it consistently. If counting feels stressful, drop the numbers and just notice “in…out.”
  4. Try mindful listening techniques in everyday conversations: For one minute, listen only for tone and pace, no planning your response. Then reflect back one simple summary: “So you’re feeling ___ because ___.” This works with kids, partners, coworkers, anyone, and it often lowers tension fast because people feel heard, not “handled.”
  5. Turn one meal or snack into mindful eating practice: Choose the first three bites to slow down: look, smell, chew fully, and set the utensil down between bites. Notice one pleasant detail (warmth, crunch, spice) and one neutral detail (texture, temperature) without judging either. If you already do gratitude journaling, try adding one food-based “win” afterward like “I ate without rushing for five minutes.”
  6. Do a 5-minute body scan meditation when your brain won’t shut off: Start at your forehead and move down, face, neck, shoulders, chest, belly, hips, legs, feet, spending one slow breath per area. You’re not trying to relax perfectly; you’re practicing noticing sensations (tight, heavy, buzzing, calm) and letting them be there. If you get restless, scan faster, momentum counts.

A few small reps matter more than long sessions. When you’re busy or distracted, having several “grab-and-go” options makes it easier to restart without guilt.

Mindfulness FAQs for Busy, Distracted Days

Got questions before you start? You’re not alone.

Q: What if I only have one minute, does it still count?
A: Yes. Mindfulness is about being fully present and aware for whatever time you have, not hitting a “perfect” duration. Try one slow inhale and exhale while feeling your feet on the floor, then return to your day.

Q: How do I stop getting distracted while I’m trying to be mindful?
A: You don’t have to stop being distracted. Notice it, label it simply like “planning” or “worrying,” then choose one anchor such as breath, sound, or a physical sensation. Each return is the practice.

Q: When is the best time to practice if my schedule is unpredictable?
A: Attach mindfulness to something that already happens, like washing your hands, starting the car, or waiting for water to boil. A consistent cue beats a perfect time.

Q: Why does mindfulness sometimes make me feel more stressed at first?
A: Slowing down can make you more aware of the tension you were pushing past. Keep it gentle, shorten the practice, and focus on neutral sensations like temperature or contact with a chair.

Q: Can I be mindful without sitting still or meditating?
A: Absolutely. Practice mindfulness without being overly reactive while you move, eat, listen, or breathe. Pick one ordinary activity and do it 10 percent slower for a week.

Small resets, repeated often, build the calm you’re looking for.

Turn Mindfulness Into a Simple Weekly Habit That Sticks

Busy days, constant notifications, and a wandering mind can make mindfulness feel like one more thing to manage. The gentle approach here is mindful lifestyle integration, small, realistic moments that support a sustained mindfulness commitment, even when practice is imperfect. With steady repetition, mindfulness benefits show up as calmer reactions, clearer attention, and quicker resets when stress spikes. Mindfulness works best when it’s small, consistent, and woven into real life. Choose one habit for the week, schedule it, and take regular breaks from devices to protect that space. That kind of supportive mindfulness conclusion matters because a few grounded minutes a day builds resilience for everything else life asks of you.

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Mindful Eating

Slow Down to Nourish: A Practical Guide to Mindful Eating

In a world that moves fast, eating has become something we often do on autopilot—between meetings, while scrolling, or standing at the kitchen counter. It’s no wonder so many of us feel disconnected from our food and our bodies.

Mindful eating offers a gentle way back.

Mindful eating isn’t a diet or a set of restrictions. It’s an invitation to slow down, tune in, and rediscover the pleasure and wisdom in each bite. Whether you’re hoping to build a healthier relationship with food or simply want to enjoy your meals more, mindful eating is a powerful place to begin.

What Is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is the practice of bringing full presence to the experience of eating. It means noticing the colors, textures, smells, and flavors of your food—and how your body responds to it. Rather than labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” mindful eating focuses on awareness, curiosity, and compassion.

It helps you reconnect with your natural hunger and fullness cues, so eating becomes less about rules and more about honoring your body.

The Core Principles of Mindful Eating

  1. Eat With Awareness
  2. Check In With Your Body
  3. Slow Down
  4. Savor Your Food
  5. Pause Mid-Meal
  6. Release Judgments

Why Mindful Eating Matters

Mindful eating can transform your relationship with food in subtle but meaningful ways. It can help you:

  • Reduce emotional or binge eating
  • Improve digestion
  • Increase satisfaction with meals
  • Break free from dieting cycles
  • Cultivate a kinder, more connected relationship with your body

When you slow down and listen, your body becomes a reliable guide.

A Simple Mindful Eating Exercise

The next time you eat, try this short exercise:

  1. Sit down at the table. Take three slow breaths.
  2. Look at your food. Notice colors, shapes, and textures.
  3. Take one intentional bite. Chew slowly.
  4. See if you can fully taste the first 3–5 bites—often the most flavorful.
  5. Notice how your body feels as you continue eating.

This small shift can create powerful awareness.

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Difficult Conversations

If words that we speak misfire and cause pain.
Please ask us to clarify and fully explain.
For often it is our limitations at play
For choosing our words and what to say.
Please make no assumptions but give others a chance.
Don’t judge them without asking, please allow them to enhance.
Hold back in assuming, don’t jump at a thought
Be open and ask or all is for naught.
When caught up in emotion we can travel two ways.
We either shut down completely or fail to convey.
Don’t jump to conclusions but rather choose trust
And ask what is meant  and not assume we’re unjust.
Let us choose love and expect the best
And question our reactions, that is our test.|
For love is the answer and a willingness to forgive.
It will strengthen our friendships and bring peace as we live.
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A New Year is Here!!!

logoAwaken Women! A New Year is arriving!! Have you dreamed of finding a mentor, a woman who will take you by the hand and gently guide you on your path? Do you yearn for a Sisterhood, where you can truly be who you are?

The Apple Branch – A Dianic Tradition extends an invitation to come explore fully how to be the priestess that you are! We have an online classroom with over 60 classes (always growing) where you can move at your own pace, and where you can share what you are learning with others, as well as beautiful rituals to inspire you on your path through the Wheel of the Year – the Goddess Cycles of Moon and Sun.

We offer three programs. First, our most comprehensive, Dianic FaerieCraft that is Dianic Wicca with added European/Celtic Craft. Second, Feminist Dianic Wicca as it has come through Z Budapest, and lastly, our path for our Crones, the Wisdom Path.  When you are at the website, please be sure to read See What Women Say and the Comments About the Ogham

Women! Explore – Choose – and Join!!

Download the Application
Many blessings,
Bendis    click for email

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Do You Believe in Magic?

I went online to dictionary.com and pulled three definitions for the word “magic.”

The art of producing illusions as entertainment by the use of sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc., conjuring.

To pull a rabbit out of a hat by magic.

The art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.

Any extraordinary or mystical influence, charm, power, etc.

The magic in a great name; the magic of music; the magic of spring.

The first definition is the one that most people think of when the word is used. The second is what people think storybook witches and wizards do and the third, a great way of using the word when talking about marvelous things in life.

I am going to toss out definition number one because, while valid, it just isn’t the kind of magic I want to discuss.

Let’s look at the second one. Any good witch can tell you, it isn’t the incantation of other techniques that assure the desired outcome, that’s all for effect. It might even be called “fluff.” What does create the desired results is what is happening in the mind as well as the energy applied and even then, controlling the forces of nature is no easy feat! And my magic is never about contolling supernatural agencies. I am not even sure what they mean by that. Is it our goddesses, spirits, our ancestors? I am not sure, but attempting control is not a good idea in any case!

My favorite definition is the last one, not the definition itself, but the actual joy of experiencing magic.

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated by snakes and lizards and yes, even bugs. The idea that a snake sheds its skin was an amazing thing. I would often find those skins after the snake shed it. That was magic in my little girl mind.

When I would come home from playing in the mountains, which I was forbidden to do, it was magic to me that my mother always seemed to know I had been there. In reality she could smell the sagebrush on me but I didn’t know that!

When I was a the beach, the sand crabs I could scoop up in my hands were magic to me. How could they possibly live under that sand in the water as well? I would scoop them up and then watch them bury themselves back where they came from. Amazing! Magic!

Even as a child I found the sun setting over the Pacific a most magical happening. This giant red ball, so brilliant the whole sky would follow suit and turn red as it lowered itself into the far distant water. That surely is where my child mind thought it was going. Magic!

As a teenager I would drive into town on Sunday mornings to go to church. I would always go early so that I could sit on the boulders overlooking the ocean far below me the waves would crash at the base of those boulders sending spray all the way to the top, the smell, salty and fresh. Magic!

My first child was born when I was twenty, after an easy labor. When I looked into his eyes for the first time, this beautiful little boy, all his fingers and toes perfect. Magic!

All my life I have loved trees. It amazes me how a tree can move through the seasons, knowing just what to do! Magic!

Here is a poem I wrote about that one year.

Bare TreeBare Tree, here in the cold of winter,
I stand here and gaze at your branches.
You are so adaptable to the changing seasons.
Each year, as the days begin to shorten,
you prepare yourself for the coming cold,
your leaves turning color and then dropping to the ground.
Those leaves, so full of moisture
would freeze with the cold
and cause you grievous harm.
Your branches would grow heavy with ice and snow.
In your bareness, Tree, you show us your wisdom.
In this time of cold,
You are preparing for future growth.
You are readying yourself for spring
When you will send out new leaves and flowers
and begin the growth cycle again.
Would that I could feel this cycle more within my own core
and know when it is time to be still and to rest,
when to pull back and listen,
when to be still and stand, rooted in the ground,
when to drop what could harm me
and when to go within to ready myself for the new.
Thank you, Bare Tree, for showing me this lesson
Thank you for the gift of your knowledge.

There are so many other things I could share here about my experiences with magic. Lately I have been having many synchronous events. People met, connections made. Magic!

Here’s my point …. Don’t ever let anyone ever tell you there is no such thing as magic!

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The Promise of Ananke

I have recently been looking at the Goddess Ananke. Ananke and Her consort Khronos, were primal energies emerging from chaos, producing the world egg and then wrapping themselves around it causing it to burst. Out of that egg came the world and all that it contains. Just imagine, the world being formed by two energies – those of Inevitability or Necessity and by Time. How simple and yet how complex.

The story of Ananke and Khronos is large. Those ancients who held onto this story were not speaking of small things. This is the creation of a Universe. And yet, in the theory of “as above – so below”, we can look and see Ananke and Khronos at work in our lives all the time.

Time and Inevitability – perhaps everything can be broken down into these two principles. With Time and Inevitability, we are born, we age and we die. A life is led, perhaps filled with love, perhaps many things. As children we play and learn and eventually become adults. We marry. We have children. Some step into careers and choose not to procreate, rather putting their energies into work and other kinds of relationships, still creating, just not procreating. Also, it is possible that some of those lives will follow a darker path into poverty, criminality, envy and greed. It is hard to know at birth, the path that will be followed by a child. And yet there is a certain amount of inevitability that when a child is born into a life containing a dark poverty of spirit, that the child may not thrive in healthy wholesome ways in adulthood.

Time and Inevitability – since we are coming out of the traditional Thanksgiving Day, we can use it as one example. Many large families get together with turkey and all the trimmings and football on the TV. We all know that in this large family, there are many opinions, with diversity at play in every way possible. The potential for argument is all there and even happens. It is contained by one thing – love. Love that holds gratitude, that time has brought them together, still alive yet all moving toward the inevitable.

Time and Inevitability – our days leading to night, our summers leading to winter. Here we are, now facing winter. Our summer has long ended, our winter is beginning, the Inevitability of Time brings change. There is hope in that because not only does summer end and winter begin – summer returns. It is Inevitable!

That is the promise of Ananke. That while we may experience Darkness, the Light will return.

Ananke and Khronos were the parents of the Moirae (or the Three Fates). Moirae means “parts” or “shares.” It was believed that the Moirae assigned each person their “fate” or their share in life. These Three Fates were, Klotho, meaning Spinner – the one who spins the threads of life, Lakhesis which means “apportioner of lots” (one who measured the thread) and Atropos, meaning “she who cannot be turned”or she who cut the thread. It was said that at the birth of each man they appeared spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread of life. Life was hard then, the gods of man were stern and inflexible. Life was stern and inflexible.

We know now that life offers choice in how we fill it. We live with Time. It is a constant. We live with one certain Inevitability. In all of that lies choice in how we live while we have life. We will have days of joy and days of sorrow. We will have times to play and times, so filled with stress, we will wonder why we continue. In those days of darkness and even as we face the changing season and move into winter, we know that summer returns. So too, will the light and a return of love. That is the promise of Ananke.

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Becoming

The Year 2015 is coming to a close. It is a time of endings and a time of beginnings. That is the wonderful thing about our cycles. We all have the opportunity to end and begin – over and over. Each day, each month and each year. We all scurry about making resolutions for the new year only to see them fail almost immediately.

This is where a good basic magical practice can lend a hand with our resolutions. In every magical act we must first know what it is we wish to manifest. I am not talking some empty wish here but a real look at what we want – really want – for the new year to bring.

If there were one thing I would say needs to be given the most attention in one’s magical practice is the Art of Becoming.

When we cast our Circle and invite the Elements, in truth, they are already there. It is within ourselves that we must become those Elements in order to feel their presence in our Circle. This is why we need to spend so much time studying them for when the studies are finished, we then must learn to feel them, embody them and finally, to project them out to others.

It is the same when aspecting a Goddess – we must become Her. The only way to do that is to first know Her, not just from books and other references, but from our own personal experience as we embody Her.

In my healing method which I call Annym Billagh (the spirit of trees), one learns the healing energies of trees by becoming those trees, by feeling them within and projecting their healing energies onto someone else.

When a member of a Native American tribe dances an animal, he is not just imitating that animal he is becoming the animal in the dance.

When a dancer wishes to portray an image in her dance, she must become that image. When an artist paints, he first learns what it is he wishes to paint. He learns so well that what he wants to paint becomes a part of him and then it is moved onto the paper. When an actor portrays a character on the stage or on film, she must first become that character. When we have a desire, when we wish something to be in our lives, we have to feel and be in that state in order to manifest it in the world of form. We must become our desire.

So it is if we wish to bring in something real with the New Year, becoming takes on vital importance. This year is coming to a close. As with all endings, it is a beginning.

This year, my Circle is honoring Frigga. The Goddess Frigga sits within Her hall and spins thread for the Norns to weave into the great tapestry of all life. She never reveals what is in the thread She spins, but we can tell Her of our dreams and ask Her to spin them into the thread of our life, if She will.

Frigga’s thread is the substance of becoming. We can ask for Her thread and once we have it, we can take it, and shape it, and manifest what is to come in our lives. What will you do with the thread Frigga gives you?

What do you need to know to become your desire in the coming year? Do you have a clear image of what it is you wish to become? Do you have a plan for becoming your desires? Will you be able to take the thread that Frigga has given you, and with your own full embodiment of that desire, manifest your dreams in the New Year?

May it be so! May all Blessings be yours in 2016 and may it be a year of “becoming” all that you can be.

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The Blood of Isis

TjetOver the years I have seen the image of the amulet called the Knot of Isis but in all honesty, never paid it much attention. I am on the organizing committee for our annual Goddess Festival here in Austin this year and we have chosen Isis as our Goddess to honor. The intent is to reclaim the Sacred Name of Isis and celebrate Her power, especially for women.

I was supposed to go to Brazil this summer to speak. One thing that was to have happened on my trip was to be my ordination as a Priestess in the Fellowship of Isis. However, because I became very ill and was hospitalized, I had to cancel my trip. In preparation for this ordination, I created an altar Isisfor Her and began to get to know Her. I have always had special affinity for Hathor and Sekhmet or as I call them together, HetHeru. And so, began my relationship with Isis.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead describes Isis as, ” She who gives birth to heaven and earth, knows the orphan, knows the widow, seeks justice for the poor, and shelter for the weak.” She gets Her name, Isis, from the Greeks, but to the Egyptians, She is known as Aset or Iset, meaning Queen of the Throne. Her earliest headdress was that of an empty throne, representing the concept of Her as Throne-Mother, the mother of the king.

The myths of Isis represent the attributes of womanhood: intuition, love, psychic ability, great magical power, compassion and nurturing.

Isis embodied a wide spectrum of qualities: the healing arts, magic, relationships and sexuality, a bridge between the worlds, fertility and much more. She holds in her power the Breath of Life. The message here is that we too have the power within us, a power to save and to heal our world.Tjet

In doing my research I came across many mentions of the Knot of Isis. When I read that the Knot of Isis was also called the Blood of Isis the magic set in! Many of you are very familiar with what happens when suddenly something triggers you and it becomes an unrelenting compulsion to know more!

So I have read every site I can find on the Internet. I have pulled out my copy of Isis Magic by M. Isidora Forrest. I bought The Mysteries of Isis by DeTracy Regula as well as Awakening Osiris by Normandi Ellis. See? Consumed!

There are many guesses as to the meaning of Her Knot. It is often called the Tjet, or simply the Tet. We do know it was used extensively in funerary rites as a protection for the dead. It signified protection both above and below. It also represented resurrection for those protected by it. It was meant to also help those who died to be with their gods after death.

“At the ends of the universe is a blood-red cord that ties life to death, man to woman, will to destiny. Let the knot of that red sash, which cradles the hips of the Goddess, bind in me the ends of life and dream … I am the knot where two worlds meet. Red magic courses through me like the blood of Isis, magic of magic, spirit of spirit. I am proof of the power of the gods. I am water and dust walking.” The Knot of Isis from Awakening Osiris by Normandi EllisTjet

What fascinated me is the idea that it possibly represented the sanitary cloth used to catch the menstrual blood of Isis, the Sacred Mother. It was found in tombs placed between the legs of women who had died while pregnant. It is said that Isis herself used it as sort of a tampon within her vagina while she was pregnant with Horus to keep from having a miscarriage. The Knot was typically found made of carved red stone – carnelian – red jasper – all colors of the life giving Blood of Isis, the menstrual blood of Isis.

“You have your blood, O Isis; you have your power, O Isis; you have your magic, O Isis. This amulet is a protection for this Great One which will drive away whoever would commit a crime against him.” Book of the Dead, R.O. Faulkner

The women who served as her priestesses were healers and skilled midwives. They could interpret dreams and control the weather by combing and braiding their hair (knot magic). They wore fringed shawls wrapped around their robes, tied in a knot at their breasts in such a way as to look like the Knot of Isis, a tradition continued by those who serve her today.

There is an inscription inside one of the pyramids, “Isis and Nephthys work magic on Thee with knotted cords.” Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection by Wallis Budge

I practice knot magic. It gives me great pleasure to know that women have used knots in their magic since these ancient times, again confirming the Power of Isis for women. I use the Knot of Isis for protection, discreetly placed wherever needed. As I identify as a Dianic Witch, I wear the red cord knotted around my waist. There was a time in my life when I did not feel safe in my community. I did not give in to my fear, but instead, braided magic into my hair as I prepared to venture out. I called them my power braids! I chanted as I braided in the magic!

Braid the Magic
Braid the spell
Hold the thought
That all is well.

Warrior Braids do
Braid the charm
Twisting evil
Bending harm.

Braid the Will
Make it strong
Return to sender
Any wrong.

Warrior Braids
Make the spell
Wrapped in love
All is well.

IsisI will be co-priestessing at the opening ritual at our festival and we will be using the Knot of Isis as we invoke the protection of Isis at the Four Quarters.

We, who practice Women’s Spirituality, know well the power of the womb. Our womb space, whether we bleed or not, or even if we no longer have a uterus, is our power center and is what makes our magic so strong. We honor our menstrual cycles and the stages in our lives connected with the birth/death/rebirth cycle of our blood. We honor the power of menstrual blood and use it in our magic. As women, we are connected by our blood. The Knot of Isis, the Blood of Isis, represents that power in us. What more powerful spiritual symbol for women could possibly exist?

Column of Tjets

Budge, E. A. Wallis, Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, NY 1911
DeTracy Regula, The Mysteries of Isis, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul. MN 1995
Ellis, Normandi, Awakening Osiris, Phanes Press, Grand Rapids, MI 1988
Forrest, M. Isidora, Isis Magic: Cultivating a Relationship with the Goddess of 10,000 Names, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN 2001

Egyptian Treasures from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

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A Crone’s Life, an Embodied Experience

In January of 2013, I wrote an article here for FAR called Embody the Sacred. In it I wrote,

“If we are to fully embrace living a magical life it is important to remember how to live in our bodies comfortably and safely. If we re-awaken all of our senses, our awareness is expanded and our perceptions clarify and develop. Without this, our magical life will not develop as it could. Our enjoyment of all that is Sacred will be impeded, as if walled in and separated from all that is possible.”

I would like to rephrase this statement just a bit to reflect where I am in my thinking now.

If we are to fully embrace living, it is important to remember how to live in our bodies comfortably and safely. If we re-awaken all of our senses, our awareness is expanded and our perceptions clarify and develop. Without this, our lives will not develop as they could. Our enjoyment of all that is Sacred will be impeded, as if walled in and separated from all that is possible.

To clarify my own personal meaning of Sacred, I see the Sacred as All of Life. This includes everything we can see, hear, taste, smell and feel. It also includes all that is known and unknown to us, quantifiable and intuited. The All is Sacred. I choose to call this All, Goddess, as my own personal preference because I see the necessity of a feminine presence in the All. I am a part of this sacredness, a part of Goddess, for I am a part of the whole. My experience of this sacredness, of Goddess, is through my senses. Of course, we have a lot more senses than the five Aristotle described.

Through many years of learning to be aware of what my senses are open to, as well as placing more of my focus on what my body experiences, rather than what it “thinks” all the time, what I have discovered is that life truly has become an embodied experience. This comes from the sense that I call “knowing.”

About twenty five years ago I became acutely aware of suddenly knowing something that I did not know before. This increased for me as I developed my ability to “journey” or travel via trance to other realms or dimensions of our reality. This “gnosis” seems to have increased with age. It has helped me define my spiritual practice as well as guide me deeper into the Mysteries. I used to need drumming or singing, some outside source to help me trance, but now I just go. When necessary, I ask and just know.

It has also affected my sense of time and space as well as the cycles of sun and moon as I move throughout the seasons. I no longer have to look at a calendar to know that it is a new moon. Or that the moon is at its peak in the light it reflects.

My body feels the changing seasons and responds to them accordingly, and not always when the calendar informs me. For example, I had this incredible burst of energy around the first of February. I was creative, active and productive in my online work and writing endeavors. I got seeds for my garden then as well and had my garden planted before the first of March instead of in April. All of this activity typically hits me mid-March to mid-April in a normal year but this year it came early. Usually it is just now happening but instead I have now leveled off in my energy and found myself in an less frenzied state. Puzzled by that, I had to reflect for a moment and I realized that of course, here in South Central Texas, we really had no winter and our spring began in early February. Small green leaves, early flowering all began then and not now. Now we are fully green except for a few really late budding trees. Our bluebonnets are in full bloom along the highways. It was simply my body’s awareness of the changing season and responding. I was responding to the surge of beginning growth, the need to fuel what is blooming in me.

Because I am basically retired (I don’t have a job that I go to every day), the need to watch the clock has vanished. I eat when I am hungry and I eat what I am hungry for. I dropped the shackles telling me to eat breakfast food at breakfast! I stay up until I am sleepy and I sleep until I wake up. Occasionally I do have to use an alarm but when I do, it feels like an imposition.

It is a comfortable way to be, to live life through embodied experience while at the same time have an active mind, digging and learning all while sharing that knowledge with others. It is a nice give and take with the Universe just as it is a nice give and take with those in my life.

I am excited because I am beginning to feel the energy rising around me again as my summer rapidly approaches. I look forward to completion, nurturing my early spring projects to fruition, ready to embrace their fullness. I am dancing in Her rhythms, in tune with her song.